Effects of Poor Diet in Early Pregnancy - damages babies brain

Low calorie diet affected brain development which could lower IQ and also lead to behavioral problems later in life.
Decreased formation of cell-to-cell connections, cell division and amounts of growth factors in the foetuses of mothers fed a reduced diet during the first half of pregnancy.

This is a critical time window when many of the neurons as well as the supporting cells in the brain are born.

As per Latest Health News, Dr Peter Nathanielsz team compared two groups of baboon mothers, but believe the findings are relevant for humans.

One group ate as much as they wanted during the first half of pregnancy while the other group was fed 30 per cent less, a level of nutrition similar to what many prospective mothers experience, especially if they have morning sickness.

They found the low calorie diet caused restrictions in the growth of hundreds of neurons and affected hundreds of genes.

It is known that marked nutrient restriction, such as in famine conditions, adversely affects development of the fetal brain.

Its effect is worse in teenage mothers – who are still growing – and older mothers who are less efficient at supplying nutrients to their babies.

"This study is a further demonstration of the importance of good maternal health and diet.

"It supports the view that poor diets in pregnancy can alter development of fetal organs, in this case the brain, in ways that will have lifetime effects on offspring, potentially lowering IQ and predisposing to behavioral problems."

Preeclampsia Cures Prevention with Weight Lifting

Women with preeclampsia who lost even a small amount of weight before their next pregnancy were less likely to develop preeclampsia again.

Preeclampsia is a serious condition that can develop during mid- or late pregnancy affecting the health of both mother and child with risk of seizures or stroke if not controlled. It affects between 5 to 8 percent of all pregnant women.

Women might first notice abnormal swelling, headaches and vision changes, but it is clinically characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine.

Women, who are overweight or obese, are at greater risk for this condition.

Preeclampsia Prevention:-

(1) Make your “diet” a lifestyle change. During pregnancy, it’s really easy to fall into the trap of eating whatever you want, whenever you want. You’ll have to work at resetting your eating attitude. Start to make healthier choices and make them permanent lifestyle changes.

(2) If you’re breastfeeding, focus on being healthy and adding whole grains, fruits and vegetables to your diet. Ditch those empty calories of soda and sweets.

(3) Walk, jump, swim, bike, do cartwheels. Whatever gets you moving helps burn calories, increase energy, and keeps you distracted from snacking, watching TV, and other stationary activities.

(4) Lack of sleep can curb weight loss. So just do it, sleep when the baby sleeps.

(5) Don’t lose weight while pregnant. Weight gain during pregnancy is necessary, just talk to your obstetrician to know how much.